On Friday January 20, Reelblack’s Soul Food Cinema will present a double feature of “lost’ concert films from the 1970s: ROBERTA FLACK AND DONNY HATHAWAY: DOUBLE EXPOSURE (originally broadcast in 1976) is a half hour performance film filmed in 1972. SAVE THE CHILDREN, (1973) was directed by Philly native Stan Lathan. Similar to the more widely seen WATTSTAX (1973), it documents the concert performances that coincided with Chicago’s Operation PUSH’s Black Expo. It features an all-star lineup of that era’s most popular artists, including Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, Gladys Knight and The Pips, Sammy Davis, Jr., Isaac Hayes, Bill Withers, Roberta Flack, Curtis Mayfield, The O’Jays and many more. Coincidentally, Double Exposure is being screened exactly one week to the day of the 33rd anniversary of the death of singer Donny Hathaway, who died at the age of 33 on January 13, 1979.

Both films have not been screened publicly in Philadelphia since their original release and are not available on DVD. Admission is Free with the purchase of a Soul Food Friday Meal ($12.00 and up). Please arrive early as seating is limited.

And in other Reelblack news, they’re co-sponsoring a screening of the documentary Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock on Tuesday, January 17 at 6:30 PM at WHYY (150 N. 6th Street). Admission is free with registration.

Eric is the Founder/Site Editor of Cinedelphia.com whose additional activities are numerous: Director/Curator of the Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art (PhilaMOCA), founder of Tokyo No Records, the brain behind Video Pirates, and active local film programmer including the Unknown Japan screening series. He’s served as a TLA Video Manager, Philadelphia Film Society Managing Director, and Adjunct Professor in Cinema Studies at Drexel University. He is shy and modest. Email Eric.